


A Night Out

by xDomino009x



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Baby asari, Babysitting, Domestic, F/F, How Do I Tag, self indulgent fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-10-12 14:37:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10493031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xDomino009x/pseuds/xDomino009x
Summary: Shepard and Liara get in from their first real night out since becoming parents, while Grunt looks after Athi





	

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know, this is just random and I thought it'd be cute. I dunno really :')  
> Please enjoy anyways!

They were getting much better at trusting other people with their daughter. Last week Jack and Miranda had watched her, although they still weren’t sure how the toddler had managed to get over the stair gate in the time it took Miranda to warm up her food and Jack to change the TV channels. And tonight Athi had been on a trip out with Grunt, who had become so protective over the tiny asari it was like they were siblings.

But some things never changed, and one of those things was how nervous a fancy restaurant made Valour. And how clumsy her nervousness made her, especially around things like glasses of red wine. That wouldn’t have been an issue if Liara hadn’t been sitting across from her in one of her best dresses. A dress that just happened to be white.

“I’m sorry about your dress,” Val muttered again as she got out the sky car and walked to the other side to help Liara out.

The asari smiled and pecked her on the cheek. “It’s alright, you can replace it for me.” She waited as Shepard paid and then they made their way to the building, walking to the elevator at the far side of the lobby. The doorman nodded as they went in, saluting to the Commander even though he probably shouldn’t anymore. Neither she nor the doorman were officially Alliance anymore.

“You know, I never mind getting you some new dresses,” Val commented as she jabbed the button for their penthouse apartment. Having a successful career in the Alliance and being a galactic celebrity did have its perks.

Liara laughed and kissed her. She was maybe a little but tipsy. Just a little bit. “One I’d like,” she reminded the soldier, “not one you’d like to see me in this time please.”

As the lift started a slow ascent Shepard chuckled and wrapped her arms around the scientist turned shadow broker. “Where’s the fun in that.”

It didn’t feel like a long ride up to their apartment, but it was probably down to the company. Everything seemed to go faster when the time could be passed together. Once the elevator doors opened at a floor with no one there, a button pressed as Shepard pushed Liara up against the wrong wall. They’d decided to wait until they got out of the lift after that, instead of traumatising one of the other residents or a staff member. People didn’t want to see their heroes kissing in an elevator.

They reached the top, stepped out of the lift as soon as the doors opened and waited while Shepard fished through her pockets for the key card for the front door. While she rummaged her credit chit clattered to the floor. Liara bent over to pick it up, laughing.

The door opened with a click and a beep of the scanner reading the card, and they went through the door together.

“Grunt?” Valerie shouted to the apartment in general, “Buddy you here?”

There was no reply, just an echo of the human’s voice bouncing back at them from the silence. Liara nudged a few toys aside with her foot and sighed at the mess the krogan had let their daughter make in the living room. The chaos hadn’t even been contained just to that room, it spilled out into the hallway and probably some of the bedrooms. She just hoped Athi hadn’t been allowed to touch the hot tub.

Val shrugged. “Must still be out.”

They stood in the living room for a while, Shepard in her shirt and blazer and Liara in her stained dress. “I guess we have the place to ourselves for a bit then?” Liara asked, speaking her thoughts out loud. Val looked over to her, brows raised curiously. The asari blushed and shrugged. It was true. They were alone. Who knew for how long, but if Grunt had taken Athi out to a toy store they’d probably be gone a while, depending when they left.

It was something to consider. “Seems that way.” Liara did have to get out of that dress sometime. That wine stain wasn’t going to come out while she was still wearing it.

Valour pushed her back on the couch and straddled her, grinning. This was the first time they’d been alone for months, no crying baby or emergency Alliance incident to attend to. Just peace and quiet and -

“Shepaaard!”

The door hissed open and they heard the heavy footsteps of a fully grown krogan thudding in the entrance hall. The excited babble of an asari toddler, a mixed slur of not quite translatable Thessian words and English

Liara sighed, as Shepard muttered, “Damn,” and pulled her shirt back on over her head. It was crumpled. She was still pulling it into place, and Liara tugging her dress back down over her legs, as Grunt ambled through into the living room laden with shopping bags and a few boxes. The perks of sending a toddler out with a krogan and an almost unlimited credit chit – neither of her parents had to bring home all her chosen toys.

Athi trotted in behind him, carrying a bright pink shark plush that was quite a bit bigger than she was. A few times she stumbled over its tail, until Liara scooped her up and held her in the air.

“Oh Athi,” she muttered, looking at the amount of bags Grunt had been forced to carry from the city to their apartment, “You brought so many toys.” Athi was a somewhat spoiled child, but hopefully these toys would last her.

“Grunt buy them,” Athi exclaimed, clapping her hands happily in her mother’s arms and dropping the shark onto the floor. It made a squeaking noise as Val picked it up and appraised it. Designer, again. She really had to stop letting Grunt choose where to take her. She didn’t need all these new toys and the krogan had a habit of going to the most expensive places. Although at least they could afford it.

“Brought,” Liara corrected the girl, tapping her on the nose as she said the word. No one expected Athi to understand language properly yet, especially while her speech still didn’t always compute with their translators.

Valour laughed and patted her daughter’s head gently. Athi giggled like she’d been tickled. “Thanks for looking after her Grunt,” she said, nudging the bags and boxes with her foot, trying to peek at what was inside.

“You brought me noodles. How could I say no?” He laughed his rumbling laugh and growled slightly. Once Liara had been intimidated by him. It was hard to remember those days now. “I’ll head off,” he said, looking between the two proud parents in their crumpled, hastily dressed state with another laugh. He ducked down, rummaged in a bag and grabbed a second bright pink shark. “This one’s mine. Athi insisted. They match.” He shrugged as he walked to the door, accompanied by Val.

Liara waited in the living room with Athi. She waved to Grunt, and bounced Athi in her arms gently as the little girl waved. “Say bye-bye, Athi.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading my self indulgent fluff


End file.
